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Quote1 Okay, one question first. This fight we're about to have -- is it because you're still hung up on Sandi, because you hate my guts, or because you're a major dillweed ripe for plucking? Quote2
Agent X[src]

History

Agent X (Nijo) (Earth-616) from Deadpool Vol 3 69 0001

Nijo's original appearance

Origin[]

Nijo was an assassin, mercenary, and agent employed by the telepathic German assassin called the Black Swan. He blamed Deadpool for his brother's death, as he was among the targets of Deadpool's apparently-successful assassination of the Japanese crime lords named the Four Winds. After Black Swan downloaded a mental virus into Deadpool's brain, Deadpool came for both Swan and Nijo at the Swan's castle in Germany. However, Black Swan revealed he had in fact killed the Four Winds, including Nijo's brother, and stabbed him out of boredom with his ranting and disobedience. His vendetta with Deadpool was that the hits had erroneously been credited to the wrong man. A bomb Deadpool had brought went off, and all three were presumed killed.[3]

All three had partially merged during the explosion when Black Swan used his powers in an act of desperation to save himself. Black Swan psionically acquired Deadpool's healing factor but accidentally made contact with Nijo and their personality traits got mixed around. Swan also gave Nijo's corpse Deadpool's regenerative powers, restoring him to a form of life five minutes after his death. As well as part of his personality, Nijo also gained Swan's firearms talents, ambition, some of his refined tastes, preferences and biases, and also the bodily scarring and outrage he'd received from Deadpool throwing him face first into a white hot fireplace griddle at his home.[4]

Nijo soon reemerged as Alex Hayden in New York with one goal in mind - to be the best mercenary alive. He was found by Sandi Brandenberg, Deadpool's former secretary, who assumed he was Deadpool by his powers and demeanor. He subconsciously took the name as a combination of composers he liked: Alexander Grieg and Josef Haydn, which Sandi worked out through his fondness for classical music.[citation needed]

Agency X[]

Sandi's friend and distant romantic interest Taskmaster was sought to help him get his bearings and train him, as was Outlaw (Inez Temple), for her shooting skills. Taskmaster noticed Alex was ambidextrous and that he was somehow interfering with his reflex ability while training with him. Taskmaster then knew he couldn't be Deadpool, despite his healing factor, and Outlaw corroborated this as Alex proved to be a better gun talent than Deadpool.[citation needed]

Sandi and Alex formed a mercenary group, Agency X. Their headquarters was based out of an amusement park Alex acquired as payment for his first mission.[citation needed]

Alex ran into Outlaw while assigned to try and take out the Punisher and steal his Colt .45 handguns. They failed and were locked up in a phone booth minus their weapons and clothes by Castle. The Punisher then killed the people who had sent them. Afterwards, Outlaw and Alex became romantically involved. However, Taskmaster, who was jealous of Sandi's attachment to Alex, had set up Alex on that mission and he was kicked out of the agency. He then contacted Higashi, the new leader of part of the Four Winds organization and informed them that Alex was Deadpool, who still held the credit for killing the previous four crime heads. The organization, primarily directed by Higashi's enforcer, Saguri, therefore held Alex, Sandi and Taskmaster responsible but with Outlaw's help, the three made a last stand at the amusement park against an army of mercenaries and super-villains, while Sandi was given to Higashi to safekeeping, as his infatuation with her would keep her protected. Agency X were triumphant and Alex blackmailed the crime lords into submission, while killing Saguri after surreptitiously being hired by Higashi to do so. Higashi was also convinced by Sandi that Alex was not Wade Wilson and was now more fully in control of his group, so he agreed to prevent any further reprisals on the foursome. Alex was enthused at what appeared to be a fresh start for the Agency but was hurt when Outlaw announced her desire to return home to the South to care for her dying father instead, while Taskmaster declined a full-time position.[citation needed]

Alex performed his assignments solo from then on, but he found his personal life further muddied when he and Sandi spent a night together. He became disillusioned with his work and decided to shut down the agency, but found himself unable to tell Sandi, who by then had set up a job for him and Taskmaster to act as bodyguards to Higashi as a final act of ceasefire. While on their way to a meeting between the Four Winds families, Alex's group was attacked by a pair of over-cheerful assassins, but after a frantic battle, they arrived safely to find one of the Four Winds families had ordered the hit on Higashi. Now that Higashi was indebted to them, Alex, Taskmaster and Sandi returned to Sandi's apartment to find Black Swan and a tabula rasa Deadpool waiting.[citation needed]

Black Swan proposed a three-way mind meld to restore each man to their correct personal states, but double-crossed them. Outlaw returned in time to help fight the Black Swan, who had now absorbed both Alex and Deadpool's powers to augment himself. Even though Alex called Higashi's favor in and surrounded Swan with hitmen, this proved to be fruitless, so Alex devised a new plan. After Taskmaster and Outlaw distracted him, Deadpool pinned Swan to Taskmaster's explosives-laden van and Alex ignited it. Alex then reversed Black Swan's absorption, but also gave him the memories of being caught in the bomb explosion in Germany. The group then repeatedly shot the Black Swan to make sure he was dead.[4] The body was taxidermized and carried around by each couple (Taskmaster and Sandi, Alex and Inez) as a prop while they went on vacation.[citation needed]

When they later found themselves on opposing sides over the fate of Cable, Alex had another confrontation with Deadpool, which he lost initially, giving Deadpool the opportunity to spell out "Hi, Weasel" with his entrails as a "surprise" for his best friend. Unable to do much damage to each other due to their healing factors, they relented after Wade agreed to hand Alex his pancreas back.[citation needed]

After a botched attempt to steal a device from Hydra, Sandi and Outlaw convinced Deadpool to rescue Alex. Alex had been affected by the device he was supposed to steal, giving him arthritis and "the American gene" (which resulted in making him incredibly fat). This made escape physically impossible - though he wouldn't want to miss out on the many treats and monkey chow that were being given to him as a lab specimen. Deadpool managed to free Alex with the help of Bob, Agent of HYDRA. He then asked Deadpool to run Agency X while he got himself back in shape, reasoning with himself that his only other alternatives were to shoot himself or eat Sandi and his business. He eventually returned to his original physique a few years later, as seen when he and Deadpool's allies rallied to aid Domino when her powers were on the fritz.[citation needed]

He later moved to the mutant-only nation of Krakoa.[5]

Attributes

Power Grid[9]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Master: Several Forms of Combat:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/None:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Regenerative:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Regenerative Healing Factor: Agent X possesses a superhuman healing factor allows him to regenerate damaged or destroyed bodily tissue with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Agent X is able to heal injuries such as slashes, puncture wounds, bullet wounds, and severe burns within moments. His healing factor is developed to the point that he can regrow and reattach missing limbs and organs. His healing factor has allowed him to survive even brain punctures on numerous occasions. With this superior healing factor he has shown a unique tolerance towards pain.[1]

  • Foreign Chemical Resistance: Agent's body is highly resistant to most drugs and toxins. For example, it is extremely difficult, though not impossible, for him to become intoxicated. He can, however, be affected by certain drugs, such as tranquilizers, if he is exposed to a massive enough dosage.
  • Disease Immunity: The no so unique regenerative qualities of Agent X's healing factor also extends to his Immune System, rendering him immune to the effects of all known diseases and infections.
  • Advanced Longevity: Agent X's healing factor provides him with an extended lifespan by slowing the effects of the aging process to an unknown degree.
  • Telepathic Immunity: The healing factor causes his brain cells to be in a constant state of flux and regeneration, giving him a patchwork memory and rendering him immune to psychics[1] such as Professor X and Emma Frost.
Limited Telepathy: He has shown a degree of telepathy while being able to protect his mind from mind reading as well as being highly unpredictable in combat just like Deadpool as proven by Taskmaster when he was unable to copy Alex's movements nor predict him.[6]

Abilities

Expert Combatant: Nijo is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant and is a master in multiple unarmed combat techniques. He has been shown fighting such amazingly skilled fighters as Deadpool and Taskmaster and even defeating them in hand to hand combat. This shows that Nijo himself is among the most skilled fighters in the Marvel universe, granted that he was trained under Taskmaster. He has claimed to be a master of kung-fu, taekwondo, jeet kune do and sumo wrestling.[7]

Expert Marksman: Trained by Taskmaster in marksmanship. He has also absorbed Black Swan's years of experience.[1]

Peak Human Condition: Agent X possesses above-average strength, speed and dexterity.[1]

Weaknesses

  • Arthritis: Agent X suffers from severe arthritis.[1]
  • Eating Disorder: Agent X suffers from a over-eating disorder.[1]

Paraphernalia

Weapons

Common pistols, knives, and throwing stars.

Trivia

  • An indirect student of Taskmaster's crime school, he never really joined or attended a single class at their complex.
  • Shown by Outlaw to be ambidextrous with firearms, as opposed to Deadpool who is better with his right hand.[2]

See Also

Links and References

References

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